1. Field of the Invention
The present invention relates generally to storm water collection systems and, more particularly, to storm sewer filtering devices.
2. Description of the Related Art
As is familiar to one skilled in the performance of various types of road construction, a problem occurs during this activity from both the disturbing of the groundcover and the grading in that excessive erosion and particulate runoff can occur during periods of construction. This can become a significant problem if not dealt with properly and continuously, in that solids can overwhelm the design of water runoff systems in place, and cause occasional local flooding that may interfere with the construction area. Although dewatering systems are known for earthworks and larger construction sites, such are not always feasible for repair work of existing highway infrastructure projects.
Numerous attempts have been made to correct for the foregoing problems. However, none appear to adequately address the problem. For example, U.S. Pat. No. 5,679,246, issued in the name of Wilcox et al., appears to be for holding oil spills and allowing water to filter past. And, U.S. Pat. No. 5,632,889, issued in the name of Tharp, addresses the problem of pollution control, especially liquid hydrocarbons and runoff water on roadways. This invention also teaches a wire basket that uses interchangeable textile liners.
Further, U.S. Pat. No. 5,372,714, issued in the name of Regan, describes several filter nettings connected together with quick release fasteners for easy replacement of filters, or removal of debris.
Also, U.S. Pat. No. 5,632,888, issued in the name of Chin et al., and assigned to Dandy Enterprises of Grove City, Ohio, incorporates a two-stage filtering system, with stage one being an envelope filter system extending down an inlet, and stage two being a textile product on a roll that extends only a few inches into the inlet and capable of being replaced periodically.
And, U.S. Pat. No. 5,643,445, issued in the name of Billias et al., discloses a more permanent filtering mechanism rather than a temporary one, U.S. Pat. No. 3,713,539, issued in the name of Thompson et al., discloses a strainer device for used in everything from sinks to drainage systems, and U.S. Pat. No. 5,562,819, issued in the name of Turner, Jr. et al., discloses a permanent filtering system for underground water or storm drains.
In a very recently issued patent U.S. Pat. No. 5,595,457, issued in the name of Stucks, a number of emergency runoff scenarios are dealt with by the inventor.
Other patents were examined and discarded as irrelevant. These were: U.S. Pat. No. 5,294,337; and U.S. Pat. No. 4,388,191.
Of considerable relevance are two U.S. Pat. Nos., 5,372,714 and 5,575,925, both issued in the name of Longue, Jr. The second of these is actually a continuation in part of the first, with each having identical specifications. Of particular interest are the claims of these patents: in U.S. Pat. No. 5,372,714, the catch basin itself is claimed as an integral part of the invention, in combination with a filter grate for holding a filter bag; in U.S. Pat. No. 5,575,925, the filter bag itself is claimed in greater detail. Further, also the specifications of these references make claims of tensile strength adequate to hold up to 4,000 pounds of silt, a device based upon these references does not achieve this in practice according to the design as disclosed, claimed, and anticipated. Further, such a device having a "v" shaped lower container body creates excessive pressure along the lower vortex, thereby placing additional stresses on the unreinforced geotexile material and further limiting the effective solids capacity and reusability of such a device.
While some of the features of these prior references are incorporated into the present invention in combination, other elements are different enough as to make the combination distinguished the prior art.